The 1-Sentence Pitch: What if a woman as irresponsible as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Dee were forced to raise her sister’s children?

What to Expect: Creators John and Dave Chernin were longtime writers for Always Sunny; Kaitlin Olson is one of its stars. But rather than a watered-down Always Sunny, John says they wanted something "that would make you groan the way Married… With Children used to." The characters aren’t lovable, but they love each other — which gives them leeway to do absolutely terrible things, resulting in some truly hilarious moments. Is feel-good cringe comedy a thing? It is now.

Getting Physical: Olson is a fearless comedian, often at the expense of her body. "She would go to the hospital once a season" as a result of some stunt or another on the Always Sunny set, says John. And while they’re happy to make use of her gifts in that way — Dave says their motto is, "The more violent, the funnier" — they often have to play stunt police. Says John, "It’s usually about trying to pull Kaitlin back.” —Robert Chan

(Credit: Fox)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: "Ransom is about a private kidnap and hostage negotiator who travels the world conducting the most difficult negotiations to save people's lives," says executive producer Frank Spotnitz.

What to Expect: Luke Roberts plays Eric Beaumont, the world's top kidnap and hostage negotiator, while Sarah Greene plays his newest team member, Maxine Carlson, a woman who has a unique connection to him. "Eric has never lost a life in any of his negations, except for one — and that's Maxine's mother," Spotnitz explains. "And so this question of why Maxine has come to work for the man who's responsible for her mother’s death and the actual circumstances under which her mother died provide a lot of the mystery and emotional moments in the first season."

Reality (Based) TV: Spotnitz tells us Ransom is based on real-life private kidnap and hostage negotiator Laurent Combalbert and his partner Marwan Mery, who have served as consultants for the show. "There's something like 30,000 of these negotiations that go on every year, that's the estimate," the EP says. "And it's quite an interesting world. The stakes are life or death, obviously, which is great for a television series." — Victoria Leigh Miller

(Credit: Steve Wilkie/CBS)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: This music-industry drama from Lee Daniels, creator of Empire, is “about the disenfranchised who are trying to get ahead, and then we intercut these fantasy sequences which are their dreams for what their future would hopefully be,” says exec producer Tom Donaghy.

What to Expect: Not another version of Empire: “This is much grittier stuff,” says Donaghy. “With Empire it’s people at the top of the world living their dreams, but this is about the people at the bottom, like most of us.” But those who love the unexpected humor of Empire can rest assured Star will be similarly delightful: “While we’re dealing with a lot of serious issues, it is cut with a lot of comedy. They’re mouthy girls! They mouth off, they dig at each other.”

Stars Galore: And in addition to glitz and camp, Star boasts a supporting cast worth singing about. “Queen Latifah has never been better, she’s doing such grounded, emotional, bright work. And then you’ve got Naomi Campbell throwing things, and Lenny Kravitz without his shirt on,” Donaghy teases. “So you can’t go wrong.” — Price Peterson

(Credit: Annette Brown/Fox)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: A reboot of the 1975-84 Norman Lear classic about a single mom and her family with a Latino cast.

What to Expect: "It’s not about us being Latino… there’s a Latino cast in a great show," says Six Feet Under and ER alum Justina Machado, who plays military veteran and single mom of two Penelope. (EGOT winner Rita Moreno plays live-in mom, Lydia.) "That’s important so that we can see ourselves the way that we are, human beings, real people with the same emotions, issues, joys and pains that everybody else in the world has. We might deal with it a little bit differently, culturally, but it’s important to just have this family going through their things, and it being our faces so that little boys and girls can see that."

Meet "Sexy Schneider": Penelope, as a newly single woman, will also tackle dating, but her love interests will not include her building's manager, Schneider (Grace and Frankie's Todd Grinnell). The reboot has revamped that character from the original series, turning him from a mustachioed, tool belt-toting lothario into a Warby Parker-sporting Echo Park hipster who considers himself a feminist. "Any version that was even similar to what Pat Harrington did [in the original] felt like a knockoff, and no one can do what he did, may he rest in peace," says reboot co-creator Gloria Calderon Kellett. "We thought, gosh, it would be fun to have a hipster in there, and maybe it’s somebody who’s a well-meaning, liberal white guy with his white privilege, and he ends up being Canadian and sweet and falls in love with the family." — Kimberly Potts

(Credit: Netflix)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: "It’s an adult fantasy drama reimagining many of the characters that are in 14 of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz books," says co-executive producer Shaun Cassidy. "It’s the story of a young woman finding her power and ultimately finding her way home."

What to Expect: This Oz is a dark place, caught between the witches and the Wizard (Vincent D'Onofrio). "The second book of the Frank Baum series starts with the girls of Oz waging a war on Emerald City because they’re tired of being ruled by men. And this is 110 years ago! You just can’t be more topical than that," says co-executive producer David Schulner. It's "really about the battle between science and magic, between the witches and the wizard, between the matriarchy and the patriarchy." And it's all brought to life under the direction of Tarsem Singh (The Fall), who incorporates stunning landscapes and gorgeous imagery to create an epic world.

Life Lessons, Oz-Style: Everything has a twist in this reimagination, from the Munchkins (now tribal warriors) to the yellow brick road (now coated with poppy dust). But the story of Dorothy, a nurse in Kansas, does have some grounding in reality. "Dorothy is going through an identity crisis," says Adria Arjona. "Thanks to Oz, she gets put into situations that make her better. She’s a fixer. She wants to fix everyone around her. That’s how she becomes a woman, by getting courage to help others." — Kelly Woo

(Credit: NBC)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: “It’s basically one man establishing his individuality against the biggest forces in the world,” says Steven Wright (Peaky Blinders, Locke), who co-created the BBC co-production with star Tom Hardy and Hardy’s father, Chips.

What to Expect: James Keziah Delaney (Hardy) returns to London in 1814 after 10 years in Africa to claim his inheritance — namely a piece of real estate that puts him in the crosshairs of the power-jockeying trade giant East India Co. (with whom he has a dark history), the British Crown, and America. As the title would imply, “Delaney is a collection of taboos being committed,” Wright says. (Start with rumors of cannibalism and homosexuality, incest, and a family history of possibly mystical madness.) “In the eight hours of the series, we will see that he does have a particular morality. He’s a good man doing bad things for a good reason. That’s the sort of character Tom and I like to explore: There’s not many things you can empathize with [at the start], but over time, you understand that character, and when that character finally does the stuff that you want him to do, it’s a great big cheer from the audience.”

A New Attitude: The duo set out to break a convention of their own: how characters in period dramas on TV are supposed to speak and act. “We suspect that people in 1814 pretty much talked as fast, and as slang-y, and as badly, and with as many interruptions as we do now,” Wright says. “We wanted to take away some of the formality of the dialogue, and that in itself will take away some of the formality of the characters.” Keep a special eye out for Mark Gatiss (Sherlock‘s Mycroft) as the Prince Regent. “He is a monarch. There’s something sort of corrupted and royal about him,” Wright says of the actor with a laugh. “The reality of how people were is so amazing, so outrageous, and so unbelievable that you can only keep a certain amount of it in.” — Mandi Bierly

(Credit: FX)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Allow executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld to sum up the books — which were published between 1999 and 2006 — for the uninitiated: "It's a very stylized, darkly funny show about three children who lose their parents and a horrible villain who goes about trying to steal their money."

What to Expect: Neil Patrick Harris plays the aforementioned "horrible villain," Count Olaf, who assumes guardianship of the three Baudelaire orphans, Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Klaus Baudelaire), and baby Sunny (Presley Smith). His machinations, and the children's survival tactics, are observed and commented upon with deadpan relish by Lemony Snicket himself, played by Patrick Warburton. "I like to make things bigger, and this time I've had to really tone myself down," says the actor behind such broadly funny characters as David Puddy and the Tick. "Lemony is anything but dynamic; he's disappointed and depressed, and always trying to discourage the viewer by saying there's something wrong with them for wanting to watch this." Despite Lemony's protestations, Sonnenfeld is hoping that viewers are going to want to keep watching for another two seasons. "Every book is two episodes, so the grand scheme is to do 26 episodes over three years. We'd better do it fast, though, because everyone is getting older — including me!"

Tick Talk: Fifteen years after joining forces for Fox's short-lived version of The Tick, Sonnenfeld and Warburton are also part of the producing team behind Amazon's upcoming revival, starring Peter Serafinowicz as the titular goofball hero. "It's a different Tick than the one we made," Warburton says, adding that he might make a cameo on the new series "if it makes sense." — Ethan Alter

(Credit: Netflix)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Recently paroled Marius (Giovanni Ribisi) assumes the identity of his cellmate, Pete (Ethan Embry), so he can hide out at Pete's family farm while he tries to come up with the cash to pay off mobster Vince (Bryan Cranston, who co-created the series with House‘s David Shore).

What to Expect: Drama, danger, and humor as Marius/Pete and Pete's family (Margo Martindale, Peter Gerety, and Marin Ireland) become entangled in each other's lives, while Pete struggles to come up with the money to save himself and his younger brother, who Vince is holding hostage. "We talked about the progression of this guy, creating such an illusion that of course he starts to believe it himself," Ribisi says. "It comes down to this guy who had nothing; he’s never known what an identity is other than the fact that he has a brother. Now, the one thing he has is in jeopardy."

Labor of Love: Ribisi, whose long career has included roles on TV shows from My Two Dads and The Wonder Years to Friends and Entourage, is terrific in his first leading man TV role, but he says Pete is one of the hardest things he's ever done. "It's really like a long-form novel turned into a television show," he says. "It was a massive commitment, the hours were insane … but it was like no other experience I’ve had in making movies. It really turned from this thing that was initially exciting for me to something that became undeniable. Hopefully there’s a season or two or three or four or whatever." — KP

(Credit: Amazon Prime Studios)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Creator Daisy Goodwin was inspired by her teen daughter, says Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton: "What would have been like for a teenage girl to suddenly become the queen of England and eventually one of the most powerful people in the world?"

What to Expect: The series begins in 1837, when Victoria (Jenna Coleman) ascended to the throne. "We often think of Queen Victoria as the little old lady with the doily on her head. But this is the beautiful, young, quite passionate woman who was crowned queen at 18," Eaton notes. "There were people trying to get the crown away from her including her mother." The queen develops a close alliance with Prime Minister Lord Melbourne (Rufus Sewell), and the show plays up the intensity of their relationship. "She needed help and he saw her potential. He was her mentor," Eaton says. "But she was very young and may or may not have misread his signals. He’s an older man. I think he cared about her. Was he in love with her?” And then there's Prince Albert (Tom Hughes), to whom Victoria was happily married for 21 years. "It was a blind date, they were fixed up!" Eaton marvels. "As it turns out, they really did fall deeply in love and he became immensely influential in her life."

Queen's Company: This isn't the only drama about a young queen on television; Netflix debuted The Crown, about Queen Elizabeth II, a few months ago. "They are family sagas, which always work,” says Eaton. “They happen to be royal, so they have a lot of money and beautiful houses and jewelry and clothes." — KW

(Credit: PBS)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: "What do men do to flee from the burden of real life? Some try to marry God," says Oscar-winning Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, who created the (completely fictional) series and directed each of the 10 episodes.

What to Expect: The new pope is an unlikely American named Lenny Belrado (Jude Law). Having donned the pontiff's robes, Lenny — now known as Pope Pius XIII — has to navigate the halls of power inside the Vatican where it's difficult to trust anybody … save for his personal secretary/maternal figure, Sister Mary (Diane Keaton). "He comes from outside the Vatican and needs to learn to get to know its abstruse mechanisms," explains Sorrentino. "His pragmatism leads him to dismantle some of those mechanisms."

Stranger Things: If the inner workings of the Catholic Church seem like a mystery to Americans, Sorrentino notes that the institution is equally difficult for citizens in its native land to understand. "The Vatican comes across as a strange institution to us Italians, who are only a few meters away in some cases. The paradox is that it's an atypical dictatorship, which, instead of being condemned, is respected, listened to, and revered." — EA

(Credit: HBO)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: “SIX, at its heart, is about the tension between the work family and home family of the most elite warriors in the world,” says David Broyles, a military special ops veteran who created the series with his father, screenwriter William Broyles (Jarhead, Apollo 13).

What to Expect: After former SEAL Team Six leader-turned-gun for hire “Rip” (Walton Goggins) is captured by Boko Haram in Nigeria alongside a schoolteacher and her female students, his brothers, now led by his protégé (Barry Sloane), band together to go after him. The result is a complete picture of what it means to be a SEAL. “These guys go on missions like other people go on business trips,” David says. “One day they will be at a fertility clinic and then 24 hours later, they’ll be parachuting into an ocean to take down a terrorist, and then they’re back home 24 hours later. It’s the challenge of maintaining both worlds when you’re crossing between them so often and so viscerally.” The eight-episode season, inspired by SEAL Team Six missions, is also a portrait of the cost, which is what Goggins wanted to explore with lost soul Rip’s journey of redemption. “The conversation has to center around what the theater of war can do to a human being,” he says. “It became very, very personal to me and a real opportunity to bring about a little bit of healing for someone [watching].”

Representation Matters: The series includes both a Muslim-American terrorist (Dominic Adams), who has a backstory purposely crafted to lead to lengthy conversations with Rip in later episodes, and a Muslim-American SEAL (Jaylen Moore), who was modeled on David’s late team leader. “It was really important to show that there can be Muslim-American heroes, because I was mentored by one,” David says. “Especially when we’re dealing with a Muslim-American antagonist, it’s important to show that this is a personal choice in either direction.” — MB

(Credit: History)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: “The funny version: me, wrapped in fur, covered in blood, killing English people, avenging my family’s death,” says Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones). “It gets a little bit more complicated than that, but to get us going, I now speak English, still covered in blood, and wrapped in fur.”

What to Expect: Set in the late 1700s, the six-part first season (Season 2 has already wrapped filming) is a battle for control of the fur trade and the wealth and power that go with it. The key players are Momoa’s half-Irish, half-Native Declan Harp, who wants to destroy the dominance of England’s Hudson’s Bay Co.; the HBC’s evil Lord Benton (Alun Armstrong), who raised and betrayed Harp; and Landon Liboiron’s Michael, a young Irishman who Benton blackmails into infiltrating Harp’s band of rebels. “It gets pretty violent and intensive from a drama perspective,” executive producer Jeff Fierson says, who has high praise for his star. “I always say he’s Daniel Day-Lewis trapped in Dwayne Johnson’s body.”

Dream Role: Before Momoa accepted the role, he insisted producers come to his house to see his tomahawk range, period furs, adopted wolves, and knives. He formed a collective of artists, the Black Wolf Co., which made all the hand-crafted blades used in the series. “They were actually modeled after my grandfather’s knives,” Momoa says. “I kind of am this dude.” — MB

(Credit: Duncan de Young/Netflix)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: "It's Archie by way of David Lynch," says showrunner Robert Aguirre-Sacasa.

What to Expect: "These classic characters are put in darker, more noir-ish stories, including a big murder mystery," says Aguirre-Sacasa. That mystery involves the death of Jason Blossom, one-half of the pair of Blossom siblings who have long been at the top of the Riverdale High food chain. Comparisons will obviously be drawn to the "Who Killed Lily Kane?" story arc that ran through the first season of Veronica Mars, but Aguirre-Sacasa points to two classic '80s coming-of-age movies as Riverdale's inspiration: Stand by Me and River's Edge. "Both of those movies have a dead body," he notes. "And on some level, every coming-of-age story is a loss of innocence story." When he's not puzzling over the Blossom murder, Archie (K.J. Apa) is dealing with more typical #TeenagerProblems, specifically a love quadrangle: the girl next door, Betty (Lili Reinhart), new girl in town, Veronica (Camila Mendes), and hot to trot teacher, Miss Grundy (Sarah Habel), who definitely isn't the grey-haired matron fans remember from the comics.

R-Rated Archie: Pro tip to parents: You probably wouldn't show your younger children classic Lynch-ian fare like Eraserhead and Twin Peaks, and the same goes for Riverdale. "We’re a 9 p.m. show, so that may send the message that it's not a lighthearted comedic romp,” says Aguirre-Sacasa. “But it is the version that was most exciting for us creatively." — EA

(Credit: Katie Yu/The CW)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Based on Therese Anne Fowler's novel Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, the drama follows the author's wife (Christina Ricci) from her life before she met her future husband through their tempestuous courtship and marriage and his career, on which she had a woefully uncredited amount of influence.

What to Expect: "I knew who Zelda Fitzgerald was, but I wasn’t particularly interested until I read the book," says Ricci, who then secured the rights to the novel and developed it as a series at Amazon. "I found the voice that Therese gave to Zelda to be so relatable and something completely different than I would have expected. History is written by the victor, and she was the biggest loser of this situation. It’s a chance for us to debunk the myth of her as this evil, scandalous woman who ruined Scott Fitzgerald. Because nothing in life is that simple."

Back to the Future: Even though the show takes place in the first half of the 20th century, Ricci says viewers will be struck by the modern parallels. "I think that time period is the closest in spirit to our time period today," the actress says. "In terms of technology, and romanticizing the future. They were so excited in that time to move forward … old-fashioned was terrible. It was all about the future and innovation. I feel like right now, we’re eagerly awaiting the next technological advances, as they were." — KP

(Credit: Amazon Prime Studios)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: "The Quad is about a woman who is trying to reinvent herself as she moves from the Ivy League world of the Northeast to taking over a historically black college in the South, where she has no idea of that culture or politics, and she and her daughter are viewed as outsiders," says EP Rob Hardy.

What to Expect: A real life look at HBCU life, complete with band drama and faculty rivalries. Anika Noni Rose stars as Eva Fletcher, the newly elected president of fictional Georgia A&M University, who finds out her school has more problems than she expected. Jazz Raycole plays Eva's daughter, a freshman in the incoming class who does everything she can to rebel against her mom and the school so she can go back to Connecticut. "We have a lot of great performance stuff in there because we have the marching band," Hardy says. "We have a great football story element, so there's a lot of stuff for sports fans and we also have a huge fraternity presence as well."

The Real World: The Quad is shot on location in Atlanta to make it as realistic as possible. "We're shooting at Morehouse College and Morris Brown College,” says Hardy. “So we get a chance to be there in the real environment, so we can create our world.” — VLM

(Credit: BET)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Exec producer Patrick Schumacker says "Powerless is a workplace comedy following the R&D team of Wayne Security — a company that creates security products for commoners to deal with the effects of superhero battle collateral damage."

What to Expect: Originally set in an insurance company, the show was retooled to bring it — very tangentially — into the Batman mythology. Alan Tudyk plays the black sheep cousin of the Wayne family and Vanessa Hudgens is the "idealistic, hopeful, optimistic Mary Tyler Moore analog" working under him.

Comic Book Comedy: "We have an episode coming up where the people of Atlantis come to visit our office as prospective clients," reveals Schumacker. Also, "one of our characters begins a relationship with a guy who turns out to be a henchman." The intersection of superheroes and TV comedy is almost completely unexplored, so "we can take classic office comedy tropes — or just sitcom tropes — and turn them on their ear because of the universe," says Schumacker. — RC

(Credit: Chris Large/NBC)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Showrunner Will Beall promises that his adaptation of Antoine Fuqua's hit 2001 movie will be a "one-hour procedural in which none of the rules of procedure are followed."

What to Expect: The series takes place 15 years after L.A. cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) took his first — and only — ride along with Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington, who won an Oscar for his performance). "It's known as the 'Alonzo Harris Scandal' and it had an impact that's still being felt on the police department and the city," reveals Beall. Eager to avoid a sequel to that scandal, the LAPD embeds stalwart officer Kyle Craig (Justin Cornwell) in the Special Investigation Section overseen by the rough-and-tumble Frank Rourke (Bill Paxton). "Kyle goes undercover inside Frank's unit with the idea of bringing Frank down before he can do the kind of damage that Alonzo did 15 years ago. So this may end up being the story of Kyle's descent into corruption or it may be the story of Frank's redemption."

Training Days: While the movie unfolds over one 24-hour period, the show is going to have a much longer timespan. "This isn't 24," Beall says, laughing. "Part of the fun of the series is that we get to live with these guys for years and years." — EA

(Credit: Robert Voets/CBS)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant star as wife-and-husband realtors Sheila and Joel Hammond, whose lives are thrown into “murder, mayhem, and destruction — but in a good way” after Sheila undergoes a dramatic change in the premiere that creator Victor Fresco doesn’t want to spoil. “Their life is turned upside down, and it’s horrible, but it also is a love story, and so out of that horror, as the series progresses, they also reconfirm their love,” Fresco says.

What to Expect: If you haven’t guessed said “change” (the show’s title is a clue), you will definitely be surprised by how the couple’s 25-year relationship, which includes a teen daughter (Liv Hewson), is tested. “In most half-hour comedies, there’s not life and death stakes, and this actually has life and death stakes, and that appealed to Tim,” Fresco says. “By episode 2, Joel takes actions that he never would have imagined himself taking. By episode 5, he is a very different character than he was in episode 1.”

Cameo Alert: Nathan Fillion guest stars in the premiere in a key role. “He plays a new realtor that’s just moved to town, and he’s kind of a flirtier, wilder version of Joel,” Fresco says. “There’s a little bit of chemistry between him and Sheila. That’s a relationship that may or may not continue.” — Mandi Bierly

(Credit: Netflix)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Special ops vet Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins) is forced to save his family, the U.S., and the world, when a group of terrorists threaten attacks across the country in retaliation for the assassination of their leader.

What to Expect: There’s no Jack Bauer this time around, but aside from that, Legacy feels very much like the lean-in, fast-paced 24 thriller fans know and love. The cast includes Miranda Otto as the outgoing CTU head and Jimmy Smits as her POTUS candidate husband, and original series fave Carlos Bernard returns as Tony Almeida. "People get nervous about spinoffs or reboots. This just feels like an extension of the show we all love," says Hawkins, who also plays Heath on The Walking Dead. "When you watch it, you’re in the moment, and your heart is really beating."

Action Figure: Hawkins, a huge fan of the original series, is excited about the possibility of an Eric Carter action figure, but has a very specific request if such a collectible should appear. "The action figure always has to be a little more physically cooler than the real person,” he says. “As long as I’m in on the conversation, I’m going to be like, 'Put a few more biceps over there, add a few more abs. They’ll be like, 'But you have abs on the action figure.' I'll say, 'Yeah, add some more.'" — KP

(Credit: Ray Mickshaw/Fox)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: “A.P.B. is a new crime drama about a billionaire named Gideon Reeves who loses his best friend during a violent crime in Chicago… and [after the investigation] he goes before city council with a very controversial proposal — that he would like to personally fund the 13th police district," says EP Trey Callaway.

What to Expect: Action-packed drama with a technology-themed twist. "[Gideon] takes it on as an engineering challenge," Callaway tells us of his protagonist, played by Justin Kirk. "He brings all kinds of new state-of-the-art technology. It’s also about the clash in cultures between his way of doing things and the reality of what it means to be a police officer in one of America’s most violent cities."

Location, Location, Location: A.P.B. is "loosely based" on the New York Times article “Who Runs the Streets of New Orleans?" and the efforts of "trash king" Sydney Torres — but this is a Chicago-themed show, shot entirely on location in Chicago. "It’s a place that’s often seen as ground zero for crisis in policing,” says Callaway. “So it becomes sort of a great tableau to draw from and sort of play with this bold experiment that Gideon is attempting." — VLM

(Credit: Chuck Hodes/Fox)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Mad Men meets Broad City in Detroit.

What to Expect: A sweetly weird buddy comedy about two small-time ad men (Tim Robinson, Sam Richardson) hustling to make a name for themselves in the Motor City. The show feels genuine because it is genuine. "I’ve known Sam since we were teenagers," says Robinson of history with the show’s co-creator. They spent ten years at Second City in Detroit before he left to write for SNL, and Richardson moved west to work on, among other things, Veep. Executive producer Jason Sudeikis pushed the pair to write the project they’d always dreamed of working on together.

American Made: "It was pretty surreal" to shoot inside Chrysler headquarters, says Robinson. "I come from a Chrysler family. My grandfather was a plant manager. My wife works at Chrysler. My mom works at Chrysler." Not that the company necessarily trusted him, even though he’s a legacy: "Crazy security clearance to get in there,” he says. “They don’t want you stealing their car ideas." — RC

(Credit: Comedy Central)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: The world’s most powerful mutant (Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens) is an inmate at a psychiatric hospital.

What to Expect: It’s set in the world of the X-Men, but without all the eye-lasers and claws. Showrunner Noah Hawley, who created the Fargo TV series, is more interested in putting the viewers in the head of someone who can’t always tell fantasy from reality: "Not knowing what’s real and what’s not real becomes part of the experience of watching the show."

So Where’s Professor X?: "I don’t want to give anything away," sidesteps Hawley, unwilling to answer the question of whether any other characters from the X-universe make an appearance. "There are certain characters that [Marvel’s] not interested in sharing," he explains. Then again, due to the distinctive nature of the show’s approach, virtually any character could show up without ruining any movie continuity. Says Hawley, "The hope is, at least once an hour, to blow someone’s mind." — RC

(Credit: FX)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Attorney Sadie Ellis (Katherine Heigl) has a tough assignment defending accused murderer Billy Brennan (Steven Pasquale), especially after she starts to fall in love with him.

What to Expect: "My character's big storyline is this relationship, in a professional capacity and also personally," says Heigl, who previously worked with Doubt creators, marrieds Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, when they were writers and producers on Grey's Anatomy. "[Sadie] is a woman who has not had a serious relationship her whole life. Why would she risk her career, which is so important to her, for this particular guy? I think what it kind of came down to was his own complicated history and backstory felt familiar to her." Sadie's past includes a mother (Judith Light) who is in prison, leaving Sadie to be raised by the mother's attorney (Elliott Gould). Billy's past includes the murder of his high school girlfriend decades earlier, a crime for which he is now on trial.

Bump in the Road: Doubt was originally developed for last TV season, and when CBS ordered it to series for 2017 debut, there was one potential complication: Heigl got pregnant last summer, which required some strategic placement. "There was a lot of holding big coats in front of me, or holding big bags,” she says. “By the end, they started using background actors who were shorter than me to stand in front of me, which I thought was fantastic and very clever." — KP

(Credit: CBS)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Based on a bestseller by Liane Moriarty, the David E. Kelley-penned seven-episode series revolves around a group of parents — played by Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, and Laura Dern — whose kids attend the same school in an aspirational competitive seaside community.

What to Expect: An accusation of bullying on orientation day forces the moms to pick sides and sparks a series of unfortunate events, including a murder. "The reveal is so satisfying, pure popcorn," executive producer Bruna Papandrea promises. "But there is so much more packed in here, just as there was in the book. It's ultimately about the images we portray, the secrets we keep, community, friendship, and family dynamics. Normally it is hard enough to find one complex female character in a project. This story is full of them."

It’s Not TV…: "It's television for grownups,” says Adam Scott, who plays Witherspoon's husband, Ed. “It really deep dives into the power struggles between these women and how it reverberates into their families. David really tapped into subtle details and a level of intimacy normally eschewed on TV in favor of big fireworks and you feel how high the stakes are even though people are quibbling about a 5-year-old's birthday party."

— Carrie Bell

(Credit: HBO)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Here’s Pete Holmes's elevator pitch for his Judd Apatow-produced HBO series: "If the elevator doors were closing, and somebody asked, 'Why should I watch your show?' I'd say, 'Funny with heart, Judd Apatow!'"

What to Expect: The origins of Crashing date back to Apatow's appearance on Holmes's short-lived late-night talk show, TBS's The Pete Holmes Show. In a taped sketch, the host pitched the Knocked Up director on a series of premises for a TV series, including one loosely based on his own life after his tumultuous divorce. "In the sketch, I said, 'That's just too sad — who would want to watch that?" remembers Apatow. "Afterwards, we started talking about it, and developed the idea." From the beginning, Holmes intended to play "Pete Holmes," a struggling comic who couch-surfs through New York's stand-up scene, sharing quarters with such established comedians as Sarah Silverman and T.J. Miller. "I'm playing the 2007 version of myself, but everyone else is the 2016 version of themselves," explains Holmes. "For example, in 2007, T.J. wasn't famous, but on the show he's playing the post-Deadpool T.J. Miller."

He's Da Bomb: Because this is "2007 Pete Holmes," the comedian was required to bomb hard during his on-camera stand-up sets. "He's not good at his craft yet," says Apatow of fictional Pete's resoundingly unfunny routines. Holmes calls those cricket-chirping moments the "most painful" parts of making the series. "Even though I knew I wasn't supposed to be good yet, it still bothered me. I wanted a stiff drink afterwards." — EA

(Credit: HBO)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: "We take 10 millennial survivalists and strand them on a deserted island with nothing but the clothes on their backs," says executive producer Kevin Lee.

What to Expect: The contestants have no food, water, or tools. They do get $1 million in cash and can buy any supplies they want. "The catch is, everything is very, very expensive. Whatever money they don’t spend becomes their prize money at the end. So, do they spend money on this outrageous stuff to help them survive or do they save it so they have a bigger prize at the end?" The teams must reach a majority decision to spend money, and that ” creates a lot of drama," adds Lee. "The other rule is if they can’t take it and it’s too much, they can shoot off a flare gun and a helicopter picks them up individually."

Psych (Out) Majors: Lee discovered something surprising as the show was filming. "It didn’t take them long enough to figure out that if there are two or three of them surviving at the end and they’re dividing a million dollars, that’s a lot more money than if they’re dividing it up between 10 people," he says. But since there’s no voting people out on Stranded, “it created a dynamic where the cast members have to be creative about how to push people out of the show." — KW

(Credit: Private Islands Inc.)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: Before the movies, viewers will see Bryan Mills’s “journey into the world of black ops,” says showrunner Alex Cary (Homeland, Legends).

What to Expect: This is a a younger version of Liam Neeson’s character in the film franchise, even though the show is set in the present — and Clive Standen was Cary’s "first and only choice" for the role of Mills. He had the look — Cary didn’t want someone with a "TV-friendly, boyish" face; and "there’s an uncanny suggestion of a young Liam Neeson," that both he and the network responded to.

Double Agents: There’s one other character that Mills shares a connection with: Peter Quinn from Homeland. "They’re not the same character by any stretch of the imagination," explains Cary. "But they occupy the same ethical and moral real estate." — RC

(Credit: Cristos Kalohoridis/NBC)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: At the behest of his mentor, Terence, the leader of the Institute of the Higher Mind (Michael Vartan), Hollywood superstar Kyle West (Josh Henderson) offers newbie actress Megan Morrison (Christine Evangelista) a $10 million marriage contract in the hopes of having tighter control of his "brand."

What to Expect: So, you've got visions of TomKat dancing in your head, right? Yes, everyone involved in the series — created by Mad Men writer and producer Jonathan Abrahams — is aware you're going to assume the stories are ripped from today's celebrity tabloid headlines. "I’ve been asked the question that you’re dying to ask me," Vartan says. "I keep saying it’s really not about that … we are not about that. [The Institute] is not a cult. Obviously, some of the parallels seem similar, but you could say that with a lot of different movies or TV shows. I think Terence is someone who meant well and got lost along the way. I think success and greed … fundamentally changed him as a person throughout the years. There’s a really cool episode later on in the season where he sort of has a ‘coming to terms with what he’s become’ moment. He's certainly a very manipulative human being who will stop at almost nothing to get what he wants, which was really, really, really fun to play as an actor, because he gets really dark and disturbed as we move forward in the season."

True Love?: "I really always liked that quality of taking a peek behind the curtain, if you will, because it is a show about Hollywood and a contract marriage, which is something that’s been around for as long as the studio system has been in place," says Vartan. "I think a lot of people are attracted to that just because we want to know what goes on behind closed doors. There’s stories about greed, manipulation, failure, and redemption. There are a lot of broader themes that we touch on, which make the show feel a lot more real in a sense, even with this glitzy and glamorous backdrop." Like genuine romance … the contract is offered after Kyle and Megan meet at an audition and start to fall for each other. "As an audience member, you're invested in, I think, the romance of it all. Can love at first sight work? Can this happen? Can Prince Charming come in and sweep this woman off of her feet?" says Evangelista, who also stars as Sherry on The Walking Dead. "I think people will have their own opinion … are these people actually in love? I believe they are. I believe that’s the biggest driving force for [Megan], that she really wants to believe it. I like to call it a romantic thriller. As the storylines would come in, you would see just how dark things would get, but it's still not without the glamour, the trips, the luxurious cars, and the private jets." — KP

(Credit: Jeff Lipsky/E! Entertainment)

The 1-Sentence Pitch: "This is not so much the story of a superhero, but the story of a young man who happens to have superpowers," says showrunner Scott Buck.

What to Expect: As a child, Danny Rand (Finn Jones) grew up ensconced in the privilege afforded by his father's billion-dollar business. Following his parents' tragic deaths, he's spent the past 15 years living the life of a warrior monk in a Far East monastery, but returns to New York when it becomes clear the future of the Rand legacy is at stake thanks to the machinations of their former partner, Harold Meachum (David Wenham). "He's a man torn between two worlds, and he doesn't feel comfortable in either one," Buck explains, adding that within Marvel continuity, Iron Fist picks up after the events of Luke Cage and ends right before the start of the team-up series The Defenders.

Fight Night: Each of Netflix's Marvel-affiliated shows makes sure to set aside time for at least one season-defining brawl. According to Buck, Iron Fist's sixth episode is the one to watch for fight fans. "That has some of our favorite fights, and is somewhat of a stand-alone episode in many ways. We tried to structure it as a traditional martial arts movie." — EA

(Credit: Netflix)